(CNS): The UK government ‘s vision for its Overseas Territories is for vibrant communities “proudly retaining aspects of their British identity” the FCO minister with responsibility for the territories said at the close of this year’s OTCC. Henry Bellingham the Conservative minister who hosted the Council in London said the coalition government had made good progress this year in developing its approach to the OTs stating that the UK was investing heavily in the Territories that need the most assistance and was working on restoring the principles of good governance and sound financial management to the Turks and Caicos Islands.

“This government has a clear vision for our overseas territories to be vibrant and flourishing communities, proudly retaining aspects of their British identity and generating wider opportunities for their people,” Bellingham said in an FCO release. “I had bilateral meetings with the Territory leaders on Tuesday and chaired my second Overseas Territories Consultative Council on Wednesday and Thursday. I was pleased to welcome over 250 guests to a reception that I hosted in honour of Territory leaders. Our discussions at the Consultative Council have been wide-ranging and constructive.”

He said that the global economic challenges and how the UK and territories are taking action to strengthen public financial management and diversify economic development were topics of discussion during the two day event.
There were also discussions on the new Overseas Territories strategy and forthcoming White Paper, as well as sessions on aviation safety; financial regulation, financial crime and taxation.

“We also discussed with Territory leaders ways in which we can build a stronger partnership, including by enabling the Territories to access UK public sector expertise and training – especially through secondments; and by strengthening links and engagement with the Commonwealth and EU,” he added.

Bellingham said that nine of his colleagues from across the government also attend the council which he described as a “clear demonstration that the UK government as a whole is supporting the territories,” and it wasn’t just an FCO issue. “We will continue to work closely with the territories as we prepare for the publication of our White Paper on the Territories next year.”

According to the FCO release the leaders of the Overseas Territories present, which included the Cayman Islands premier, had welcomed the inclusion of other UK Government Departments in the consultations and expressed appreciation for the support they offered, “especially in these difficult economic times.”

The council was opened by the British government’s foreign secretary William Hague who said that the Overseas Territories are a priority for the UK Government

“My Ministerial team in the FCO and my colleagues across other Government departments will work tirelessly to ensure that our partnership promotes the best interest of all our citizens and a bright and successful future for the Overseas Territories,” Hague said.

Comments (39)

Do they mean proud of being used? Proud of having our lawyers locked out of the lucrative money making firms? Proud of being displaced in our own country? Proud of economic aparthied? Proud to have a photo op getting a hand out? Proud of the UK not advancing our educational system? Eugenics began and exported from Britian. Hell no I not proud of being British.

I would be most proud to be British if you get rid of all the Bush and its wild weeds………only then I would proudly accept the BOTC as stated in my passport otherwise if you cant do anything about all this Bush and wild weeds then being British is pointless.

Guess that's how the Caymanians that got status feel to find out after they have been here for 30 years, they are still considered foreigners even though they have Caymanian children. Doesn't feel good does it?

As a British expat in Cayman, let me just add my tuppence. Ever since I can remember, Caymanians have always been proud of their British connection, yet they have maintained (up until now) their unique Caymanian identity which is godly, proud, strong, kind and fair.

What I have seen over the years is unbridled greed in their leaders which has leeched down into the population and it threatens to corrupt the next generation of Caymanians.

As far as the British are concerned, we have hardly set a good example to our Caymanian proteges. Our country is up to its eyeballs in debt, we have unbridalled immigration and our once majestic manufacturing industry has been decimated by accountants, politicians and regulators.

But at the end of the day, we are all individual people on this planet and consequently we are responsible for our own actions. Hopefully, enough conscientious people will come together and put the Grand back in Cayman.

By the way, you are all invited to the Cayman Islands Marathon next Sunday morning. It is a fabulous event gaining international recognition by the year. Come and watch the British Bulldogs avenge their second place defeat of last year in the team relay by the Caymanian Tigers. Perhaps Steve Speirs will threepeat in the full marathon and Marius Acker will become a National Hero with yet another win in the Half?

still confusethis christmas… bellingham has santa claus's face but no beard – mckeeva has santa claus's belly but face look like kentucky. what confuses me is where are the gifts, can i have a chicken sandwich? can i sit on santa's lap? awwww i give up!

Absolutely. It is taken for granted with no value assigned to it. If Caymanians bother to look, they will find a vibrant, multicultural country where peoples of many races, colours and creeds can live, work and be successful together, that is full of history. It's not perfect, but its not some third world country either. The relationship with the UK is what you make of it – cherish it and nurture it, and you will get much out of it. Consider it a one-way street where all you do is take from it, well…you'll be independent before you know it.

Actually, the poster is right, and you are as well in way. British born and bred Islamic fundamentalists were responsbile for the July bombings. But there were considerable links to the 9/11 bombers to Britain that one of the US's main security threats was the United Kingdom! So the all embracing multi culturalism screwed the Brits!

What are we taking from the UK? It doesn't give us any money and charges all of its appointees salaries to 'the revenues of the Cayman Islands'. In fact during the negotiations for the new constitution, someone said something to the effect of "We are there for you until you need us" to the head of the Overseas Territories office and he agreed with that. It's an insurance policy that doesn't pay out (Ivan?) All they did is send a couple of warships, which have been lost in the cuts leaving all of the Caribbean territories defenseless.

Let's not forget also that we employ a few thousand Brits including some who become very wealthy indeed. Let's also not forget that if it were not for our regulatory framework and the services that we provide your largest and most successful companies would have a lot less money which is driving their expansion and service offerings.

So……..what are we getting from the arrangement please? Tell me how we are taking advantage of the UK?

Proud to be British??…did someone not tell him the days of the blind colonials running down to the warship to see someone in a ostrich plume hat are history? We now have internet!

Caymanians have had a history of being independent (forgotten over the centuries by everyone including "mother" England). It is only since we gave the survivors of the Falkland Islands war money in the early 1980s that we began getting recolonised. We are more American now than British. We are certainly Caymanians and no longer think of any real nationalistic relationship to the UK.

And we pay to send our politicians there to hear this? Hope the tea and crumpets did not blind them. Funniest thing I have read recently. Real funny.

Mr.Bellinham should spend a little more time reading offshore alert and explain to us how there has been so much bad governance under the UK’s watch. Yes, most of the abuses have been carried out by my fellow Caymanians but the UK promised it would act as a fetter on rogue acts – and yet for a decade we suffer open overt abuses and have seen no positive action since the First Cayman Bank related suspension of the LOGB. We are in a hole that the UK has supervised the digging of. Many many Caymanians want to dig out of it in partnership with the UK – but we are not sure you really want to help.

The relationship between the Uk and Cayman should always be a good relationship, and the relationship between the governments and all British people and Caymanians should also be a good one too. United we stand

And a NATIVE Caymanian at that. Born to the 1st settlers in this my Land.

It's good to hear the the English want us to flurrish. But their words don't mean any more that what's coming out of the LA unless they prove themselves. Got to go now but I look forward to many comments.

You clearly have not read the contract (constitution) we have with the UK…it states, after all the rhetoric, that at end of day UK will act in its interest at ALL times. Not Cayman's.

It is not in their interest to have our financial industry continue. Thatis why for the last 13 years they have pushed tourism and environment. 1997 White Paper said that very specifically. They have not changed their goals of that paper. It says in essence "keep your environment good so you can have a sustainable tourism product, get out of the finance industry, accept all UK wishes and act like we want you to OR we are happy to let you go towards independence". That is what it says in a nutshell but very specifically.

That was 13 years ago and the road they continue on–nothing has changed except they have been handed their favourite colonial mechanism for control…a split society between two political parties. Read history. At one point, the British Raj controlled the entire Indian subcontinent, over 300 million people, with only 950-1,200 civil servants using and ensuring that the local people/castes/tribes were fighting against each other and using local collaborators. (Think UDP/PPM). The UK invented this type of colonial control over the last 700 years and still play by the book.

While we waste our time playing UDP/PPM/McKeeva/Kurt nonsense they are systematically destroying our economy, adding layer after layer of Civil service overheads and setting ever-moving goal posts. They have just had us commit to another level of Financial reporting costs with monthly and quarterly reporting- more civil servants, more cost without any associated revenue. They have also gotten us to agree to "realighning our revenue base" – direct taxes! And we think that is only for McKeeva…ha..just heard a bottle of champagne pop in FCO.

The UK has never left a colony in a good financial situation and if anyone is silly enough to believe the UK really cares whether we are doing well here you need to read their history. Sure, as long as it is in their interest they will align with us but as soon as it is not they might as well be considered our own "wolf in sheep's clothing". A "partnership" does not work only in one direction.

I do agree that our government's spending in the last 10 years, both UDP & PPM and before, has been outrageous and unsustainable, we need to however wake up Cayman before its too late. Nero fiddled while Rome burned.

Spotlight you are incorrect in your theory that it is not in the UK's interest for the Cayman Islands financial service sector to continue. In fact, the situation is quite the reverse. The offshore financial services sector (which uses English law) allows the City of London to gain access and penetration into global trade. It is an important component of their success.

I really think the default assumption that the UK is some sort of manipulitive evil oppressor who is making a special effort to undermine the people of the Cayman Islands is wrong. It is an untruth, it is a fantasy. It often plays neatly into the hands of the politicians who need someone to blame, who needs a kicking post, who gains mileage from formenting the myth that 'we' are the victims of oppressive colonial masters. This is mostly BS.

There has certainly been a lot of neglect over the years, but the suspicion and conspiracy mentality that exists in the Cayman Islands about the UK is imagined.

Caymanian politicians make almost all the decisions and write almost all the laws. Caymanians call the shots and they control of the steering wheel.

In this relationship, the UK is in the backseat, occaissionally they try to grab the handbrake when things go badly off course. That is how it is. We are not oppressed. The relationship actually provides some important benefits to Cayman, but Caymanians don't want to hear that. They prefer to feel they are being victimised.

I did not realise that the FCO read CNS….because this post is clearly from Mr. Bellingham.

The UK up until 2 years ago were in FULL control of EXCO and Cabinet and what happens here. That is more like being in the front driver's seat. They sat back and made the others in the car play with the controls and steering. If someone is really to blame its FCO and our Governors who let that happened.

I think any reasoned person who has watched the UK, FATF and OECD operate since 1988 can possible come to any other conclusion about the UKs position on our Financial industry. Ask the past FS and business leaders what ensued in the Cabinet room in the 1998 to 2002 and beyond. Then you might have a differnt blog.

Your post might have some more credence if the previous British PM had not gone to the US Congress and invited them to close us down. It might be more believable of we were not aware of the Euro Bank spy scandal.

All the UK ever did was try to work with you, but Mac and y'all complained they were interfering too much. Then put the boot on the other foot and the UK tries to stay out of it, and same folk are quick to moan that the UK does nothing for them.